Bringing (Subtly) Sexy Back

Who doesn’t lust after a steamy-fog-up-your-reading-glasses-where’s-my-fan love scene? Lori Foster, Delilah Devlin, Lisa Kleypas, are just a few authors that come to mind when I think about love scenes that make me squirm.

But I also applaud a good subtle-leave-things-to-your-imagination love scene, be it in books or movies. Some of the most sensual scenes I’ve read omit the graphic details, allowing my juicy little imagination to finish the scene, and leave me just as breathless as the explicit ones.

So, what can an author do to achieve that breathless love scene without all the salacious details?

·        Build sexual tension. Without building sexual tension between the characters from the beginning, even the most graphic sex scene seems methodical and devoid of passion. Dialogue that sizzles, using tools like double-entendre, is a great way to ratchet up the tension. Intimate settings, telling glances and innocent but electrifying physical contact can really get the blood pumping.

·        Create an emotional connection. The hero and heroine should have an emotional connection, even if they don’t yet realize it. But that’s not the only connection needed. The author should also create a connection between the reader and the characters. If the reader doesn’t care about the characters, why should she care whether the hero and heroine are about to jump in the sack. That’s where plot and character development are so important. Without them, the love scene is just, well, pornography.

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·        Arouse anticipation. This not only applies to the hero and heroine, but to the reader as well. Make the reader want the love scene as much as the characters. A few close calls and near misses between the hero and heroine work to heighten the anticipation.

·        Stimulate the senses. Evoking the five (and sometimes six) senses adds depth and emotion. Do the hero’s hands feel calloused and rough as they graze the heroine’s silky skin? Does the heroine smell of citrus and rain? What is the sound of their breathing, the taste of their mingled breath? Do the hero’s eyes turn dark with desire?

·        Reveal the physical and emotional reaction. Describing what is physically happening isn’t enough. What are the characters feeling, both physically and emotionally? How do they react to touch, taste, smell? What are their physiologic responses? Eyes dilating, pulses racing, knees weakening? What are their emotional responses? Are they dazzled? Enraptured? Shaken to their core?  

·        Close the door. Provoke the reader’s imagination by leaving her panting for more. Insinuate where the scene is going and then close the bedroom door.

The following is an excerpt from my second novel, Rescuing Lacey.

Lacey turned to go into the kitchen, “Well, guess we should finish up the—”

               Luke grabbed her hand before she could finish her sentence and pulled her into his arms. Lowering his lips to hers, he muttered, “They can wait. I can’t.” He’d waited patiently all night for this. No interruptions from dogs, best friends, or rogue waves. Just the two of them. Alone.

               She rose up to meet him. He nipped her lower lip then, caressed it with his tongue, before taking it between his lips again. She groaned low in her throat, as she raised her arms to wrap them around his neck, twining her fingers in his hair. He dropped his head to press kisses along her jaw, inhaling the scent of her rosemary and lavender.

His head swam with it. With the feel of her body against his, the taste of her lips, the sound of her rasping breath. Why had he waited so long? How had he waited so long? Only her refusal could stop him now.

“Lacey . . . Lacey,” he whispered. “So beautiful.”

He returned to her lips again and again, unable to quench his thirst for them. Their sweetness only left him craving more.

               The heat between them built to epic proportions. No matter how close they became, it wasn’t close enough. One hand clasped the nape of her neck while his other hand slipped down her bare back, his fingertips skimming along her spine, raising goose bumps. 

               She shivered in response. Her tongue grazed his, as their breath mingled in whispery sighs and soft moans. She slipped her leg between his thighs as his hands slid to her waist, before venturing further to her hips, pressing her snugly against him.

               His touch was like fire. It consumed her, and she willingly gave in to the greedy flames. Her hands slipped beneath his shirt, skimming her nails along his bare skin, his answering moan inflaming her until she thought she would spontaneously combust.

               But something else lay beneath the passion. Something intangible, more intimate than the physical response alone. Whatever it was left her aching with a need so fierce, so primal, it nearly brought her to her knees. 

               He lifted her dress, sliding his hands along her thighs, around to her bottom. Her breath caught, her legs trembled. She didn’t know how much longer they would support her.

               His hands glided back up her arms. “Say my name,” he muttered against her lips, as he slipped the straps of her dress from her shoulders.

               “Luke,” she whispered against his mouth.

               “Again.”

               “Luke.”

               And it sounded like a benediction. 

Breathless yet? What do you prefer! Love scenes that end with a closed door? Or do you like the heat of something more explicit?